Trooper Gardiner is on an incapacity payment but he says it is not enough to get by.

He says he has tried unsuccessfully to get full support from the DVA.

"Defence, they've basically done nothing. They just stuck me in an office in the RAP (Regimental Aid Post) for six months and my discharge went through," he said.

"That was it, out the door, no help, nothing. And then I've had to fight DVA for the last four years for my entitlements."

'Bureaucratic maze'

The parliamentary inquiry in Brisbane heard about the treatment of soldiers suffering post-traumatic stress disorder.

Psychiatrist Dr Andrew Khoo, who has treated up to 1,000 soldiers with the condition, told the inquiry that for many, the process of getting help was a gruelling, prolonged and dehumanising experience.

"It is a bureaucratic maze. I would say that it would be maybe, anecdotally, less than one-in-10, maybe one-in-15 in the last 10 years that have a smooth process in their compensation, in their process to gain DVA recognition and compensation," he said.

Rates of post-traumatic stress disorder among soldiers:

Dr Khoo says it is a complicated process of paperwork that many soldiers struggle to deal with and he says the attitude of the DVA appears to have changed for the worse.

"It seems to have changed very much to 'you are actually sort of trying to diddle us out of money until proven otherwise'," he said.

"It should be sort of the opposite.

"ADF members and ex-ADF members very rapidly become quite demoralised by the fact that they've done their service, they've done the best they could, they've come back with an illness and now no-one believes them."

'Man-up' culture

Queensland's Young Diggers Association president John Jarret has told the inquiry the care provided to injured and wounded soldiers is hit and miss.

"It depends which unit you go to, which brigade you go to. They have some very, very good help for some of the troops," he said.

"And why I say some of the troops is it depends on the different unit COs (commissioned officers) and senior NCOs (non-commissioned officer) on their attitude towards the troops themselves.

You've got troops that are doing it tough and they'll go to their sergeant, or their RSM, or their CO, and they'll be told to man up.

Young Diggers Association president John Jarret

"But when they get back to their units, there are some units that aren't really sort of stepping up to the mark.

"You've got troops that are doing it tough and they'll go to their sergeant or their RSM (regimental sergeant major) or their CO and they'll be told to man up."

Mr Jarrett says more needs to be done to change the stigma surrounding post-traumatic stress disorder within the Defence Force.

"So what we need to see is the top people within military, understanding what this trauma is all about," he said.

"They need to go to these areas of combat, and they need to go outside the wire with troops. They need to understand what deployment is all about."

The inquiry has already held hearings in Canberra, Melbourne and Adelaide.

Monday's sessions in Brisbane wrap up the inquiry, which will prepare its report to be tabled in Federal Parliament.